Two Charged In Death of Michigan State Police Trooper

Two people have been charged in the death of a Michigan State Police trooper.

Trooper Joel Popp was killed during a traffic stop on I-75 near Birch Run January 24. Popp and two other troopers responded to a report of a vehicle that struck a guardrail in Genesee County and found it by the Birch Run overpass. According prosecutors, 32-year-old Brooke Allen of Haslett appeared disoriented and was later found to be under the influence of methamphetamines. During the stop, prosecutors say 81-year-old Duncan Irving of Atlanta, Michigan was driving a minivan that slammed into two patrol vehicles and then into Popp, who died of his injuries at Hurley Medical Center in Flint. Irving was also seriously injured in the crash.

Irving is charged with not using due care when passing a stationary emergency vehicle causing death. Allen is charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated causing death, which prosecutors claim Popp would still be alive if police had not been investigating her crash. Saginaw County District Court Judge Terry Clark calls an interesting legal theory. Both charges are felonies with potential prison sentences of up to 15 years.